Mapping urban linguistic diversity with social media and population register data

Abstract

Globalization, urbanization and international mobility have led to increasingly diverse urban populations. Compared to traditional traits for measuring urban diversity, such as ethnicity and country of origin, the role of language remains underexplored in understanding diversity, interactions between different groups and socio-spatial segregation. In this article, we analyse language use in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area by combining individual-level register data, socio-economic grid database, mobile phone and social media data to understand spatio-temporal patterns of linguistic diversity better. We measured linguistic diversity using metrics developed in the fields of ecology and information theory, and performed spatial clustering and regression analyses to explore the spatio-temporal patterns of linguistic diversity. We found spatial and temporal differences between register and social media data, show that linguistic diversity is influenced by the physical and socio-economic environment, and identified areas where different linguistic groups are likely to interact. Our results provide insights for urban planning and understanding urban diversity through linguistic information. As global urbanization, international migration and refugee flows and climate change drive diverse populations into cities, understanding urban diversity and its implications for urban planning and sustainability become increasingly important.